Women’s Sport in Australia is rising in popularity, with those watching it on television up 18% since 2022, according to Foxtel Media and Gemba’s latest Women’s Sports research, conducted under the FoxTest initiative.
Viewing engagement has also increased, with 36% of Australians (up from 32% in 2022) consuming an hour or more of Women’s Sports per week even as overall sport consumption remained static.
The majority (54%) of Women’s Sports viewers are Foxtel or Kayo Sports customers, while 45% of Women’s Sports consumed by Australians is on Foxtel or Kayo Sports.
The report, which surveyed a nationally representative sample of more than 1,400 Australians, also found that among women’s sport viewers, sentiment towards brands who sponsor Women’s Sport is increasingly positive.
Among Women’s Sport viewers, 68% "feel more positively towards brands that sponsor Women’s Sport" compared to 53% in 2022.
Toby Dewar, director of customer engagement at Foxtel Media, says the latest research backs up last year’s findings that brands who sponsor Women’s Sport benefit from higher levels of trust.
“Our research consistently shows that Australians actively watching Women’s Sport have high levels of sponsorship recall, and this actually influences purchase decisions," says Dewar.
"For example, NAB’s recent sponsorship of AFLW resulted in significantly higher NPS (net promoter score) among AFLW fans aware of the sponsorship, with a +3ppt impact on brand consideration, taking share from major competitors.
"Women’s Sport represents an exciting and powerful opportunity for brands, and of course benefits the talented Australian women playing sports at all levels.
“At Foxtel Media, we’re also proud to see awareness of Women’s League sponsorship being significantly higher among a Foxtel and Kayo Sports audience, and that Foxtel can build awareness more quickly than other media channels.
"For example, Foxtel viewers are significantly more likely to recall AFLW or NRLW sponsors and 40% more likely to recognise the naming rights partners of major leagues and teams."
Monika Poposki, head of sports sales, Victoria at Foxtel Media, said the research identifies an exciting future opportunity for advertisers.
"At a total population level, attitudes are improving slowly, with more associating Women’s Sports to have 'arge scale investment' and as exciting and fun to watch," says Poposki.
"However, there’s a more significant shift among those who actively watch Women’s Sport – showing the importance of broadcast in driving change."
Four out of then (40%) of female Foxtel/Kayo Sports viewers indicated that they are willing to watch more Women’s Sport but they often forget or don’t know it is on, which reinforces the need for rightsholders to provide sufficient notice to broadcasters of season start dates and schedules.
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